Condiment packet



1954 R. T. RODGERS 3,156,355

CONDIMENT PACKET Filed Feb. 2, 1962 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,156,355 CONDIMENT PACKET Robert T. Rodgers, Medfield, Mass, assrgnor todaclr Wood and Isabel D. Wood, Canton, Mass, doing business as Ivy Packet Co.

Filed Feb. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 170,704 1 Claim. (Ci. 206-56) The present invention relates to individualized condiment packets, of the type containing an individual portion of such a condiment as salt or pepper, WhlCh may be served to and opened by an individual person. Such condiment packets are intended to be sealed hermetically until actual use but to be opened easily and poured freely at any desired time. More particularly, the present nvention relates to a novel condiment packet which is inexpensive to fabricate and simple to use.

The object of the present invention is to provide a condiment packet of the foregoing type that is characterized by a pair of superposed panels, each including as laminated strata an external paper back and an internal thermoplastic coat, which panels are joined to each other in a particular manner. The thermoplastic coats at the edge sections of the panels are sealed to each other throughout their peripheries. The plastic coats are sealed to each other at a control section, the bulk of the area of which is spaced from a particular one of the edge sections but which defines a mouth with edge sections adjacent thereto. A printed indicium of the position of the mouth is provided upon the paper backing of at least one of the panels as a guide for tearing the packet open. Preferably the control section is in the form of an island spaced from the edge section with which it is contiguous in order to enable the portion of the container at the mouth to be ripped open in a non-critical manner Without disturbing the restrictive function of the mouth.

Other objects of the present invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention references should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of a preferred product embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, exaggerated for clarity, taken substantially along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1.

Generally, the product illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is in the form of a substantially flat, substantially rectangular packet fabricated from a front panel 12 and a rear panel 14. Each of front panel 12 and rear panel 14 includes an outer paper backing 16 and an inner thermoplastic coating 18. Thermoplastic coatings 18, 18 are welded together at the four rectilinear peripheral sections 20, 22, 24 and 26 of the packet to provide a continuous hermetic seal of uniform width throughout. Additionally, thermoplastic coatings 18, 18 are welded together as at 28 to provide an island that is spaced from the closest peripheral section 22. As shown, island 28 is in the form of a triangle, the base 30 of which is parallel to peripheral section 22 and the apex 32 of which points toward peripheral section 26 of the packet. The downwardly converging sides of island 28 define with peripheral sections 20 and 24 two channels 34 and 36. A dotted line 38 on the paper backing 16 of one of the panels serves to indicate to the use the proper area to tear off.

In practice, any condiment such as salt, pepper, etc. may be confined hermetically within the chamber provided by packet 10 in such a way as to protect it from moisture, vapor, etc. until used. Paper backing 16 preferably ranges from .0005 to .005 inch in thickness.

Thermoplastic coating 18 which preferably ranges from .0005 to .005 inch thick, is composed of a water impermeable, synthetic polymer, for example a polyolefin, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Edge sections 20, 22, 24 and 26 and island 28, which are formed by joining under heat and pressure by serrated dyes, are in consequence serrated. Preferably each edge section ranges in width from M: to inch, and the overall with of the packet ranges from 1 to 2 inches. The base 30 of island 28 ranges from A1 to /2 inch and the distance from apex 32 to base 30 ranges from A; to /8 inch. In operation, either upper corner of packet 10 may be ripped open by the user in order to expose corresponding channel 34 or 36. On the other hand, if the user inadvertently rips off the entire top of the packet, flow of the condiment from within the packet still will be controlled by virtue of the existence of island 28.

The present invention thus provides a novel packet in which a mouth is fabricated simply but may be opened effectively in a non-critical manner. Since certain changes may be made in the above disclosure without departing from the scope of the invention herein, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or illustrated in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

A substantially flat packet having a plurality of edge sections, said edge sections having a rectangular outer profile and a rectangular inner profile, said packet com prising a pair of superposed panels, said panel each including an outer paper backing and an inner thermoplastic coating, the inner thermoplastic coatings being joined throughout said edge sections around the periphery of said packet to provide a hermetic enclosure for a condiment, said inner thermoplastic coatings being joined additionally at a single control section, the bulk of the area of said control section being spaced from one section of said periphery of said packet in order to define at least a mouth between said one section and an adjacent section of said periphery, and an indicia on at least one of the paper backings at said mouth, said indicia visibly extending across a corner of said external rectangular profile, said paper backing ranging in thickness from 0.0005 to 0.005 inch, said thermoplastic coating ranging in thickness from 0.0005 to 0.005 inch, said thermoplastic coating being composed of a water impermeable synthetic polymer, each of said edge sections ranging in width from A; to 4 inch, whereby when a corner of said packet is ripped from the remainder thereof along said indicia, said mouth is open, said control section being a substantially triangular island separated from said one section, the base of said island being adjacent to said one section and the apex of said island being remote from said one section, the base of said island ranging in width from A to /2 inch and the distance from the base to the apex of said island ranging from V8 to /8 inch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,251 Kaplan Dec. 4, 1956 1,286,877 Graham Dec. 3, 1918 2,923,404 Adell Feb. 2, 1960 3,072,248 Bishop Jan. 8, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 599,183 Great Britain Mar. 5, 1948 769,942 France June 18, 1934 1,056,953 Germany May 6, 1959 

